Sara Atkins Photography

Details Details | Napa Wedding Photographer

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:51:23 -0800

Way back in July I had the pleasure of photographing a beautiful wedding with the amazing Julie Cheshire. I had so much fun shooting this wedding and getting to know such a sweet couple. Here are a few of my favorite details from the day.

Baby Eli | San Jose Portrait Photographer

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 10:45:16 -0800

One more shot that I have been working on of little Eli. Thought I would share it before snuggling up and enjoying my day off! Happy Saturday, try to stay warm in this blustery weather!

Humira + Weis | San Francisco Portrait Photographer

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:16:05 -0800

What a wet day! I spent this morning at the Palace of Fine Arts and got DRENCHED as a super sweet family tried their best not to look frozen. It is amazing what a difference the weather can have on the look and feel of a location. The images below are from another session that I did recently at the Palace of Fine Arts. However, it was not raining. It was beautiful, and quite a lot easier to work with!

Humira & Weis's engagement session was awesome. They are a super fun couple to work with (and beautiful in front of the camera!). We walked around the columns and got some great shots. Now if only I can learn to control the weather so that all of my shoots can be this comfortable!

Baseball Baby | San Jose Newborn Photographer

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:59:00 -0800

One of my goals as a Wedding and Portrait photographer is to keep my clients. I love the idea of meeting a new couple and photographing their wedding and then following them as their family grows. Ethan and Lianna are one of those couples and baby Eli is their first kiddo. Ethan and Lianna where an amazing wedding couple to work with, watching them as they grow their family is such a joy. Below are a few of my favorites from Eli's very first portrait session.

Photographing Friends | Fairfield Portrait Photographer

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:48:34 -0800

Every once in a while a friend will call with a familiar request for a portrait session. I always welcome these special sessions but there is a completely different dynamic. When I am photographing a family that I have not previously photographed, I am often trying to wiggle my way into their hearts, my goal is ultimately to become a friend. So going into a session with a friend I don't have that need to establish a friendship, it is already there. So we get to jump right into the fun of the photo session. We get to catch up, we laugh, it is always a blast.

This was a session with my friend Delena. We worked together in my previous life (almost five years ago!), before I was a photographer so it was fun letting her see my new life as a photographer. These are a few of the images that we got during her session, I had a great time catching up and getting some great images. It was a shock though to see how grown up Delena's family has gotten, another reminder of how quickly time is flying!

Ladies Trip | Channel Island Travel Photography

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:26:56 -0800

Over the holiday break Denise, Liat and myself decided to take a bit of a road-trip. You see, our fellas decided to bugger off to Kenya and we figured that as long as they where off exploring together so should we. So, on the 2nd of January we packed up the golf and made our way down to Santa Barbara where we jumped on a boat to the Channel Islands. We were pretty lucky, not only did we see dolphins in the first 5 minutes of the boat ride, but we saw whales. We did see them breaching, but I didn't manage to get a shot, though I did get a tail shot. We hiked around the island and took in the beautiful view. The day was absolutely perfect for it. We ended our stay on the island with a little fox viewing. What a day!

Here are a few images from our adventure...

Next adventure: Driving through the Desert

Come see me in Oakland!

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:24:54 -0800

Come celebrate the arrival of 2012 and cross some of those New Year's resolutions off your list with Café Crush. They will be displaying my portraits of the children involved in Oakland Based Urban Gardens (OBUGS) beneficial community programs. We welcome you to browse these portraits throughout January and February while you quench your body's desire for some healthy deliciousness.

Also, if you have the time I would love to see you at Cafe Crush myself and take a spin on the blender bike on

Thursday, January 19th from 6-9 pm. Come and sample their NEW GREEN smoothies
off their secret menu!

Where: Café Crush - 3943 Piedmont Avenue - Oakland, CA

Tiffany & Jeff + 1 | Berkeley Maternity Photography

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:57:53 -0800

Someone asked me recently what my favorite part of my job is. My answer came instantly, 'it is all the perfect moments'. I get to witness people at their happiest. I get to document their weddings. I get to watch as they start to grow their families and I get to see their little ones grow up. I document seniors going off to university and I even occasionally document what people will expect to be the last images that they will have with their loved ones before they pass on. My job lets me see some of the most honest, beautiful and touching moments. I get to make art out of what one might think is just every day life. It is beautiful.

Christmas Puppy | Menlo Park Pet Photography

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:59:42 -0800

About a week ago Santa asked if we could keep an eye on this little critter until Christmas morning. Would we... well obviously. We call her Gizmo, Biscuit, Kiddo, Munchkin, Little Dog. You see she doesn't have a name quite yet. My niece and nephew will have the honor of naming her on Christmas morning. I cant wait to see their faces when then meet her. We are definitely going to miss her around here though!

Grandma & Grandpa | Monterey Family Photography

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:09:13 -0800

Last weekend I traveled down to Monterey to do a portrait session with my Grandma & Grandpa. It is funny that as a professional photographer it is my own family that often has to wait the longest to have a portrait session. However, just as I tell my clients, it is these images that are going to be the door into our past. It is important to document the people and relationships in our lives. This is me practicing what I preach. These are a few of the images that we captured to document two wonderful people in my life. They have a lifetime of stories to tell.

Axel needs a home | Menlo Park Pet Photography

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:52:40 -0800

This is Axel, he needs your love. You see, Axel is a special pup. He is a 4-year-old drop dead gorgeous male German Short-hair Pointer. Unfortunately, Axel has some compulsive behaviors that make him act differently from other dogs. He has been started on medication to hopefully help him overcome some of his issues. Right now Axel would do best in a home with adults and teenaged children. He needs to be the only dog (he can live with cats.) Axel LOVES to play fetch and is a fantastic running partner. He can be aloof, but will still hang out with you on the couch and watch some TV.

Learn more about Axel, by checking out these FAQs. Axel is part of NorCal GSP rescue's Pointed Homeward program! He's been in rescue quite a while, and a Fairy Dogmother has come forward to sponsor his adoption donation so that his new family can use that money towards his (required) training.

If you are interested in adopting Axel or becoming his foster home, please contact Cathy at foster@norcalgsprescue.org. Axel will go to the boarding kennel on December 15 if a foster or adoptive home has not been found. Help get the word out by posting his flyer as well as emailing it to everyone you know. Axel's Flyer

A rainy day session | San Francisco Wedding Photographer

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:10:46 -0800

I always find myself saying that one of the things that I enjoy most about my job is the challenge. This is a very true statement, and if my job where easy I would probably very quickly grow bored of it. This engagement session was a perfect example of a session that presented quite a few challenges. First of, it was spitting with rain. Not ideal photography weather. Second, my clients had trouble getting to our location so in the end we had a very short 20 minutes to get the images.

Thankfully everything turned out fine and I was happy with the images as where my clients. But this was certainly one of those sessions that pushed not only my ability to work in a pretty confined space but also with very little time. Luckily my clients where awesome (they almost always are) and we ended up having a pretty great shoot.

Below are just a few of my favorites from their shoot. FYI, these where taken at the academy of science, I have ALWAYS wanted to get a silhouette image in front of one of those fish tanks!

Yosemite Adventures

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:50:31 -0800

A somewhat last minute trip to Yosemite, our travel companions came from all corners of the globe. Taiwan, Iceland, South Africa (obviously), Argentina, Peru, Israel, and Dominica. We piled into the golf, typical road-trip snacks stuffed in every available nook. It was a pretty tight fit. I don't think any of us were quite prepared for how cold it was. Not even the Icelander. Our first full day in the park and the biggest snowflakes I have ever seen started falling out of the sky: no hike to glacier point. We quickly rearranged our plans and decided to do a shorter hike up to Yosemite falls. We all snapped photos as we went along. I thought I would try my hand at HDR on this trip. The second day we did manage a hike up to Glacier point. The image above is the view from the top. The rest of the images below are a few of my favorites. We live in such an amazing part of the world. But after our trip, it sounds like I have a few more countries to visit.

Hayer Family Portraits | Vacaville Portrait Photographer

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:51:23 -0800

With family portrait season well underway I have be inundated with beautiful family images that I can't wait to share! The Hayer family was no exception. These two little boys were so much fun (read: FULL of energy). They had me working hard and cracking up. Here are just a few of my favorites...

Embrace Health & Nutrition | Palo Alto Business Head Shot

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:25:56 -0800

Amy contacted me recently looking for a new head-shot for her website. She wanted something that would be professional but not stuffy. Something that showcased her easygoing, approachable attitude. Amy came over and we got started, as we wondered around in the late afternoon sun, looking for nice locations to shoot I found out a bit more about Amy and what she does.

Amy is a Health Coach, she is currently attending the Institute for Integrative Nutrition at Bauman College. The more we chatted the more I realized how much we had in common. We shared our cooking adventures (most recently we have both wondered into the world of offal) and compared notes on running a small business.

After spending a bit of time with Amy it was clear to me that she is going to be very successful in her new business. She is down to earth and sweet. She has a very clear passion for food and for people, so her career path definitely makes sense. I look forward to sharing recipes in the future and watching her business grow as she helps women to live healthier more balanced lives.

If you have any questions about health coaching or would like to schedule a complimentary initial consultation with Amy, please contact her via her website: Embrace Health & Nutrition